Pressure’s on Mahomes: Are the Chiefs Actually Breaking Him?

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Pressure’s on Mahomes: Are the Chiefs Actually Breaking Him?

Yes, you read that right. Patrick Mahomes, one of the NFL’s flashiest quarterbacks, is now making headlines with his scrambling. He’s on pace for a career-high scramble rate this season—around 9% of his dropbacks ending in a run. We’ve only seen this once before, during the Chiefs’ 2023 Super Bowl-winning campaign, when none of his receivers could catch a damn thing and the offense was basically broken. When Mahomes loses trust in the players around him, his scramble rate spikes. Clearly, it’s a recession indicator for the Chiefs’ passing game.

Sunday night’s 20–10 loss to Houston was another scramble-heavy outing for Mahomes. The offensive line was depleted, receivers were dropping passes, and the defense? Top tier. “Looking to carry Sunday’s defensive efforts into Week 15.”

Mahomes had to take the game into his own hands. The whole contest was a painful indictment of how Andy Reid and Brett Veach built around their superstar QB.

If the Chiefs want the playoffs, they must win out—Chargers, Titans, Broncos, and Raiders. And yes, if the Chargers don’t finish 10–7 or worse, their postseason dreams get even trickier.

Mahomes did have flashes of brilliance, but in the Houston game, he threw three interceptions—first one at least “inadvisable,” second one outright terrible, and the third one required everything to go right—but nothing did.

Looking at the bigger picture, it’s what it feels like when an offense is spinning out of control. Nobody can figure out how to fix the other guy, because the problem… is everything. Mahomes is now a risky fantasy start, especially in the playoffs.

Bottom line: if the Chiefs want a playoff spot, Mahomes will have to run, scramble, and perform his “magic” all over again. And we all know, the higher that scramble rate goes, the more exhausted Mahomes is getting.

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